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Flu clinics not affected by shutdown

Flu clinics scheduled through the end of the year for area schools and the public so far are not affected by the government shutdown, Crawford County health officials said.

“As of right now all clinics are on schedule even with the potential of the federal furlough,” said Michelle Hammer, administrator for the Crawford County Health Unit.

So far WIC has been the only federally funded program affected by the government shutdown at the CCHU, Hammer said.

“We are WIC funded through the end of October 2013 as far as salaries and WIC checks are concerned,” Hammer said. “We are not issuing checks due to be cashed after Oct. 31 due to uncertainty of future funding.”

Staff at the CCHU are continuing to make appointments and see WIC clients, Hammer said.

A mass clinic for a free flu shot will be provided to the public Friday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center. School flu clinics also are free.

“There will not be any cash charges at the school and mass flu clinics, however we encourage parents or guardians to complete all of the information regarding insurance or Medicaid on the back of the flu form for the school clinics,” Hammer said.

The main office for the health unit, located in Little Rock, does complete third party billing, Hammer said. She added that parents do not need to send insurance or Medicaid cards to school as long as they complete the information on the form.

“We just don’t want any lost cards at schools,” Hammer said.

Those attending the mass flu clinic Oct. 25 also will be asked to complete an information form regarding insurance and or Medicaid and Medicare, and may want to bring their cards with them that day to reference, Hammer said.